Autonomous Interaction

Abstract

While we have considered many aspects of agent systems, especially the configurations that arise in systems of multiple interacting agents, we have not explicitly addressed the issues underlying interaction itself. In this chapter we re-examine what it means for an agent to be autonomous and, more specifically, what that entails for an adequate model of interaction between such agents. As we have discussed, complex environments admit an inherent uncertainty that must be considered if we are to cope with more than just toy problems. In such uncertain environments, agents must be autonomous; an agent can never know in advance the exact effects of its own actions nor of the actions of others. This is of paramount importance, and an agent must therefore be designed with a flexibility that enables it to cope with this uncertainty by evaluating it and responding to it in adequate ways.